Series: Devil You Know, Book 3
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: March 9, 2021
Source: Publisher
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He lives in secret service to the Crown—a man of duty, deception, and an undeniable attraction to a woman who threatens to tear his whole world apart.
They call him the Devil of Dorset. He stands alone, a man of undeniable power. Moving in and out of shadows, back alleys and ballrooms, he is unstoppable and one of the Crown’s most dangerous weapons. However, when he sets his sights on the undeniably beautiful Countess of Mont Claire, Francesca Cavendish, he doesn’t realize that he has met a match like no other.
TRUE LOVE WEARS NO DISGUISE
Francesca is a countess by day and stalks her prey—those responsible for the death of her family—by night. What she does not expect is to be thrown into the path of the devil himself, the Earl of Devlin. She has secrets of her own and he seems determined to lay them bare. Can her heart survive finding the love of her life and losing him when all is revealed?
I’m a big fan of Kerrigan Byrne’s work so it pains me to say I didn’t enjoy The Devil in Her Bed. The final book in the Devil You Know trilogy is as dramatic as the first two, but in ways that just didn’t work for me.
Francesca is on a quest for vengeance. Her family and closest friends were murdered by the Crimson Council when she was a child and she’s determined to discover who caused their deaths and why. But she’s not the only one targeting the mysterious Council. The Devil of Dorset wears many guises and he too seeks to destroy the Council. He’s also after Francesca, who he believes to be an imposter…and he’s right. Francesca took the name of her friend after her murder, using her title and the power that comes with it to help her on her quest. Sparks fly immediately between Francesca and the Devil of Dorset and they seem like the perfect match. But what will happen when all their secrets are revealed?
Francesca is a bold and brave heroine with a short temper and a grudge. She’s not for everyone but I didn’t mind that she wasn’t perfectly likeable – what she’s been through makes her actions understandable. She hates society’s rules, particularly those that are meant to shame and bring down women. Francesca lives in many ways in the past which again, makes sense. She’s tied up in knots on her mission to avenge her loved ones and she’s so close to her goal that nothing will stop her. She’s laser-focused which can sometimes hinder her but I was impressed by her dedication and creativity.
As for Chandler… he’s where I had the most trouble with The Devil in Her Bed. The Devil of Dorset is tied up in the past to an unhealthy degree. He is in love with a memory so powerful that even had the girl he loved survived there is no way she would live up to what he imagines her to be. He lusts for Francesca, sure, and he makes no bones about it. But his heart and mind is caught up in a fantasy. The romance absolutely didn’t work for me because of this. Francesca practically prostrates herself at his feet and yet up to the end he believes her to be someone else and is so in love with his memory there doesn’t seem to be any room in his heart for the woman right in front of him. There is some retconning at the end of the story to make the happily ever after happen and it just doesn’t work. Perhaps if we had seen more flashbacks or scenes from the past in Chandler’s point of view, or if the truth had come out earlier in the book, it might have worked. But as it stands, the romance was completely unsatisfying for me.
The Crimson Council has been the series big bad and in The Devil in Her Bed we finally get to the heart of it. As far as villains go, the Council and its head aren’t as interesting as I had hoped. The majority of their actions in this book seem to be outrageous for shock value rather than something more meaty to give the book depth. There’s also a reveal about the main villain that seemed like it was going to be important and then ultimately wasn’t and I questioned why it was in there.
The Devil in Her Bed is the first book of Byrne’s that was a miss for me but I will say it’s not wholly disappointing. Byrne’s writing still sucks me in and Francesca’s friendship with the Red Rogues, Alexandra and Cecilia, warmed my heart. I also adored the respect and support Francesca gets from Cecilia’s fiancé, Ramsay. Visiting the past heroes and heroines of the Devil You Know series was my favorite part of the story. All in all, Francesca and Chandler’s book wasn’t for me. That being said, I still recommend the first two books in the series and I cannot wait to see what Kerrigan Byrne writes next.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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